During the Fall 2014 Furniture Market I had the pleasure of meeting Timothy Corrigan, who is one of the world’s most respected interior designers. He has been named to the Architectural Digest Top 100 Interior Designers and Architects in the World for 8 years and Robb’s Report awarded him the title of Top 40 Interior Designers in the World. Get the idea? His list of accomplishments and influence in the world of interior design goes on and on.

www.timothy-corrigan.com

Elle Decor states: “Timothy Corrigan creates comfortable spaces suffused with old-world elegance”. No matter how beautifully a space is designed, it is not entirely successful unless it is also comfortable, practical and liveable. Mixing elements that are new and old and from all around the world, our work is classic but with a fresh, comfortable feeling. www/timothy-corrigan.com

Timothy Corrigan and Cheryl Hucks

After working on a design site for two weeks and walking at the Furniture Market for 4 days my feet were screaming “no more walking!” I had marked “Comfortable Elegance Tips for Creating Beautiful and Welcoming Spaces” by Timothy Corrigan as the number one seminar I wanted to attend during the furniture market. Rather than walk around for another hour or go home, I decided to just put my feet up and read my emails while I waited for the seminar. As soon as I walked into the seminar room Timothy walked up and introduced himself and invited me to come sit with him and his assistant, Elaine Maltzman. I had an amazing time that I will never forget. Timothy has a contagious positive energy and love for interior design, his design projects and his clients.

www.Timothy-Corrigan.com

The term “Comfortable Elegance” which has been trademarked by Timothy,is my favorite design philosophy! No matter what your design style you can create a home that is comfortable and elegant. I love, love this comfortable and inviting kitchen/dining room/ sunroom. Can you imagine entertaining your family and friends in this happy house? My design business for several years was “Casual Elegance by Cheryl”. After years of people asking me if I was an image consultant, jewelry or clothing designer or owned a store, I changed my business name to Cheryl Hucks Interior Designs. Now, everyone knows exactly what I do and my name!

www.timothy-corrigan.com

Timothy paints a beautiful coral and black picture! See the mix of old and new? Relaxing room for yourself or guests.

www.timothy-corrigan.com

www.timothy-corrigan.com

One of my favorite ways to add height, elegance and importance to a bed is a bed crown or corona.

www.timothy-corrigan.com

A common question client’s ask is ” how far above bathroom faucets to hang mirrors?” Here’s the answer! If your mirror is tall and does not have a frame that projects out so far that it hits the faucet, hang it low. If your bathroom vanity mirror is hung too high or too low, you will know immediately….you will have uneasy feeling that something is not quite right. I also like that Timothy used a silver tray (that would probably be stored in a china cabinet) to organize the counter top and create an elegance.

www.timothy-corrigan.com

Bold statements with the gold leaf wallpaper and mirrored chest! You should give it a try in your powder room.

www.timothy-corrigan.com

Just the right amount of blue accents creates a comfortable living room. Great place to listen to your children practice piano.

www.timothy-corrigan.com

Paneled library / family room with a fabulous cheetah print ottoman/coffee table and brown fringed pillows invites you to snuggle down and put your feet up!

I invite you to check out Timothy’s interior designs, his products and press about Corrigan at his website www.timothy-corrigan.com/ With offices in Los Angles and Paris, Corrigan has an international clients, celebrities, royalty and corporate leaders. He also has fabric and floor covering lines ,and furniture for Schumacher.

In 2003 Corrigan purchased a 45,000 square foot neoclassical chateau in in Loire Valley, France and transformed it into an exquisite, livable home. “An Invitation to Chateau du Grand-Luce , Decorating a Great French Country House” details the transformation with beautiful before and after photos. Century Furniture hosted a book signing during the 2014 Fall High Point Furniture Market. where I purchased the coffee table book. I have enjoying reading the book and seeing the chateau’s transformation through Timothy’s words and eyes.

Cheryl!

Hi Everyone! Cheryl Hucks, your DESIGN INTERPRETER, with Part 4 of my series 2015 Home Trends:Kitchens. Open floor plan kitchens which are growing in popularity will continue in 20115 but will be smaller, greener and offer more casual living spaces. They satisfy the need to gather and connect.

House Beautiful

.Love these celebrity homes that are fantastic examples of 2015 Kitchen Trends. Shows you what a huge budget can do! Mila Kunis great room is the perfect example of an “open floor plan” kitchen. Grand island, fireplace, living room, dining room and top grade appliances and finishes. I bet there is a computer somewhere too!

House Beautiful

Streamlined, large expansive windows and few upper wall cabinets….instead, wall shelves for items you want to keep within easy reach. I have must have too many dishes for that new trend! Flat paneled doors and glossy surfaces create Beyonce’a and Jay Z’s beautiful sleek, all white kitchen! What a view!!

House Beautiful

All white must the be the trend with celebrities. Love, love Celine Dion’s huge oven and cooktop. The open shelves with glass doors have created a focal point.

Elle Decor

Jennifer Lopez’s kitchen has no upper cabinets! Must have large pantry-closet!

House Beautiful

Extending the color palette in the rest of your house to the kitchen has always been one of my designer recommendations. Creating a flow throughout an open floor plan is essential for good design. Would have guessed this was Kelly Ripa’s kitchen?

Elle Decor

Chef Bobbie Flay’s kitchen. Wonder if he has the same color palette in the rest of his house?

House Beautiful

Bruce Willis’s rustic, msculine kitchen demonstrates the 2015 trend for a great expanse of windows, no unsightly clutter and multi-use space.

House Beautiful

House Beautiful

Would you believe this is Lady Gaga’s Kitchen? I would have guessed a modern, glam kitchen.

House Beautiful

Jessica Parker’s kitchen has that same “Sex in the City” glam style. Do you she a shoe closet close by?

Elle Decor

Guida de Laurentiis beautiful kitchen is exactly what I thought she would have.

I have listed a few of the kitchen features in demand for 2015:

Induction cooktops

Steam ovens

French door refrigerators with bottom freezers

Electronic no touch faucets

LED lighting

Wooden floors

Energy saving appliancesc

Docking and charging stations

Desk or home office area

Double sinks

Recessed lighting

Central island

Pull out drawers pots and pans

Breakfast bar for coffee, etc

Universal or inclusive design is expected to be a big trend in 2015. Zero step entries, widened doorways, multi-level cabinets (to accomodate wheel chairs and ability to sit to chop, bake,etc),non-slip flooring, door pulls and knobs that are easy to grasp, pull out faucets or faucet handles that are easy to turn, under counter refrigerators drawers, pull out microwaves. Our aging population want to “age in place” and prefer to remain at home rather than move to a nursing facility. Multi-generations under one roof need inclusive design.

Cheryl

Hello Everyone! Cheryl Hucks, your DESIGN INTERPRETER with part 3 of my series on 2015 Home Decor Trends- Bathrooms. I am sure you know that updated kitchens and bathrooms increase the value of your house. Not planning to sell my house anytime soon, but when I do, I want my bathrooms and kitchen to be updated and become an asset to the sale of my home. Bathrooms are decorated with as much care and attention to detail as any other room in your house. When decorating the master bath or any other ensuite bathroom, I like to extend the same color palette and style to the bathroom as the adjoining bedroom.

3-Soaking Tubs: For the past several years garden tubs with a large deck surround have not been on homeowners wish list. Instead, high end showers with several shower heads are the must have. Free standing tubs are now on the “must have” list. Can you imagine how many gallons of water it would require to soak in a tub this size? If you are a conservationist or just live where there is or could be a water shortage, soaking tubs require a huge amount of water! I prefer this modern shower with the unique shaving sink and mirror inside the shower! Who would not enjoy this? I would use the ledge to shave my legs. On trend: black tile and clear glass.

Elle Decor

4-Bathrooms will be about how they make us feel. Bringing nature into our bathrooms by large open windows or tile murals with flowers, clouds, plants. Large elliptical shaped soaking tub.

Elle Decor

4- Simplicity: Clean minimalistic. Glass doors separate the water closet and shower area from tub and vanity. Granite is no longer the only requested counter surface. Quartz and concrete will also be popular in 2015.

Nate Burkus-The Perfect Bath.com

5-Black tile replaces white tile: Nate Burkus designed black tile bath with moleskic marble. Values and plumbing under the sink are pretty enough to be displayed. I love the look but only if there is bathroom storage.

6-High Tech: Water proof TVs in vanity mirrors or hanging for optimal viewing while getting ready for work. No excuse to miss the news, stock prices or your favorite TV shows!

Veronica Neal Home

7-Make-up vanities: Two gorgeous Veronica Neal Home vanities are bridged by what most every woman would love—a make-up vanity. Veronica’s bathroom vanities are all furniture grade and all styles can be customized! Today one of my client’s and I were in Veronica’s showroom planning and customizing a fabulous “old world” style double vanity, make-up vanity and linen hutch. I cannot wait to see the finished product!

Hello Everyone! Cheryl Hucks, your DESIGN INTERPRETER, is back from helping decorate my future twin grandchildren’s nursery. We do not know whether there will two adorable girls or boys or one of each but the suspense will be over in December! Once we know the sexes, we will add the their names above their cribs and other finishing touches. We framed and matted colorful artwork by the twin’s 10 and 12 yr old brothers to create a beautiful art wall. I am so excited to welcome my 5th and 6th grandchildren!!

Are you ready to update your home with the “2015 Home Decor Trends”? Rather than list all the trends in one long blog, I have decided to write a series based on several of the new trends for 2015. Today’s blog is about “color” which is probably the number one requested trend for any new year. After the Spring High Point Furniture Market I wrote that one of seminars I attended said blue would be one of the hottest color for 2015. There are many organizations and individuals who give an “educated guess” as to what the new color or group of colors will be for the following year. Sometimes they all agree but sometimes not. Pantone releases their “Color for 2015” in December. Furniture and accessory manufacturers must make those “educated guesses” earlier or their products would not be in the stores or on websites by 2015. Most major paint companies have already made their predictions for 2015. Benjamin Moore is the only one that has a 2015 Color of the Year. Sherwin Williams and Behr have “color palettes”.

Benjamin Moore

Country Living Magazine-Benjamin Moore’s “Guilford Green” HC-116

“Benjamin Moore has made its big announcement: The company’s 2015 Color of the Year is Guilford Green (HC-116), which creative director Ellen O’Neill calls “a neutral that’s natural.” The silvery shade of green is the centerpiece of Benjamin Moore’s color trend story for 2015, a palette of 23 shades of green, blue, blush and berry designed to mixed and matched. We chose Guilford Green as our 2015 Color of the Year because it can be the hero or the highlight in any room, enhancing the architectural identity of a space,” O’Neill said in a press release. “Guilford Green is the perfect thread to connect nature, spaces, and interiors with color schemes that signify fresh energy and growth.”

Back in the 90s I used a similar shade of green by Benjamin Moore for several projects. Every color in my color scheme looked fabulous with the silvery green. Why? Because the most predominant colors in nature –green, turquoise, blue and yellow- compliment the less occurring colors.

Lauren Matthews-Traditional Home -Benjamin Moore

Eggplant colored walls make a strong statement that is tempered by the calming green bedding.

Cheryl

Cheryl Hucks, your Design Interpreter,with my latest blog about Updated Mi-Century Modern Style. While I was painting a vintage mid-century modern credenza and a funky chandelier for this September’s Chic Chateau Designer Showcase House that will benefit ARC of Greensboro, NC, it reminded me that many homeowners are not familiar with Mid-Century Modern Design. I remember as a child my mother, who inspired my love for interior design, owned a pink sectional sofa and drapes with “boom a rang” shapes.

Popular from 1945-1975, Mid-Century Modern, is making a come back. If you prefer glass everywhere, an open floor plan and a strong connection with nature, then this could be the perfect design style for you! You would also like the clean lines, no fuss design too.

MIDCENTURY FOR A NEW CENTURYLynn Harris and Matti Leshem at their home in Studio City, California, with their Weimaraners Hank (left) and Coco; the interior was designed by Sarah Walker.

Cheryl

Cheryl Hucks, your Design Interpreter here! There are numerous reasons why you need an area rug–define an area in your room, create a focal point, add warmth to hardwood or tile floors, coordinate or create a color palette and more. I recently had this exquisite scrolled area made for my family room. Due to my son and daughter-in-law expecting triplets in December, I needed a larger and newer rug for my future little ones to crawl on and play. Exciting time for my family!!

Cheryl Hucks

I found this rug in the remnant area of a local carpet store, had the edges bound and glued and had a high quality rug pad cut to fit. If I had ordered the carpet it would have cost me 3 times what I paid for it. Love a bargain!! Most of the carpet remnants were solids. Be sure to check out the remnant rooms first. You might end up with a much better quality area rug for less money! All my furniture is solid with a few patterned pillows, which are now being made. My future window treatments will either be solid or have a small pattern that will not compete with my focal point—my rug.

Hand tufted Amanda wool rug -Overstock

This bold statement rug makes a captivating focal point. The solid fabric sofa allows the large floral rug to take center stage while the modern throw pillows accentuate the rug’s colors. I love that this is considered contemporary but still be used in a traditional setting.

I am sure the rug or art work were purchased to compliment one another. Solid sofa and chairs paired with solid pillows and art do not compete with the spirited patterns in the room decor. Your eyes have a chance to “rest” while looking at all the details in this sensational room. Can you imagine how confusing and busy this room would look with patterned furniture?

Elle Decor

Dark walls must have light floors. Not all your furniture needs to light or white but the majority should. If your floors are dark and you are in love with the idea of dark chocolate brown walls, add a large light colored area rug. This highly textured rug has just enough personality created by the brown stripe.

Cheryl

My topic for this month’s appearance on my local Fox 8 was Shabby Chic Decorating Tips. Cottage Chic, Beach Cottage Chic, French Country and Gustavian (Swedish) are the most common forms of Shabby Chic. My personal favorite is French Country.

The definition Shabby chic (pronounced: “sheek”) is a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their appearance of age and signs of wear and tear or where new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique. At the same time, a soft, opulent, yet cottage-style decor, often with an affected feel is emphasized to differentiate it from genuine period decor.

Elle Decor

Shabby Chic is influenced by European design, especially French. Probably one reason Parisien Flea Markets are very popular with Americans. These vintage pieces can be a mix of styles. If you cannot travel to Paris or find or afford a vintage piece, there are several paint brands that will give new furniture and accessories that distressed or weathered look. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint http://www.anniesloanunfolded.com/products/chalk-paint has tutorials with step by step instructions. Farmhouse Paint, a French Style Furniture Coatings is a paint that I first saw at the April 2014 Furniture Market in High Point, NC https://www.facebook.com/pages/Farmhouse-Paint/389457877834290. Another one is Van Gogh Chalk Paint http://www.vangoghfurniturepaintology.com/ You can use just the paint or add distressing that will give your furniture piece an aged or weathered look. Most retail stores that sell these paints offer classes. There are many youtube videos that will walk through the steps to a beautiful aged Shabby Chic piece.

One of my favorite magazines, Verands, usually has at least Shabby Chic room in each publication. Beautiful walls!

Veranda

I have included photos of the props I used for my Fox 8 Interview. Burlap definitely says relaxed decorating!

Cheryl Hucks

If you saw me on Fox 8 you know the origin of the wooden box. A sewing machine drawer! I love the carving and handle. This was my grandmothers It is lovely with tiny potted ferns or flowers How would you use it? I purchased the blue metal lantern at Hobby Lobby but you could make your own with a little chalk paint. Dry brush or sand off paint here and there for a vintage look. Neat how the new photo frame on a stand has a faux antique pin glued to the top. You get the idea? Replace furniture knobs with antique crystal or metal knobs.

Cheryl Hucks

Pink, sage green, pale blue and aqua are the most popular Shabby Chic palettes. Hydrangeas are probably the flower most often associated with Shabby Chic. You can grow hydrangeas and dry them. Do you see the French influence in the antique brass candlestick? My mother bought this one years ago in an antique shop. I wonder about its age. Statues and especially angels appear in Shabby Chic decor.

Cheryl Hucks

Vintage china, crystal and silver can be easily located in antique shops, flea markets, and as in my case, my mother-in-law’s china cabinet. Nell was very pleased her china and crystal would be seen on Fox 8. The lovely eyelet dollie is from my grandmother, Rosa.

Cheryl Hucks

Sweet magnetic message board from Ballards. Family message board or a “to do” board in a home office.

Ballards

I love this grande distressed mirror from Ballards. I have the perfect spot in my home! Where would you use it?

Slipcovers, antique silver, china and crystal, tapestries,wicker, sheers, and lace are few more item you might want to include in your Shabby Chic decor. It is budget friendly in that you can paint most furniture style to create that eclectic charm. Collections of antique plates, photo frames, lace or antique architectural pieces can be an interesting focal point. As with most all decorating styles, avoid a cluttered look.

Hope to see you at the Paris flea market!

Cheryl

A luxury I have always longed for is a make-up table. The master bedroom and bath I designed for Chic Chateau 2012 had a darling, petite make-up table that every little girl who saw it asked their mom to buy it for them. Using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, I transformed a badly scratched dressing table to dream piece of furniture. I was thrilled when one of my design client’s purchased it for her daughter. Makala does not use make-up but needs a place for her jewelry. ( All the furniture and accessories were tagged for sale.)

I used my mother’s hand me down console table—added bun feet to raise the height, an antique chair and Venetian mirror that were also part of my family history. After purchasing an lamp, table top magnified mirror and a make-up tray, my dressing table was ready for guests. The decorative waste can and tissue holder were moved from other areas in the same room. My guests LOVE my “new” dressing table. They plug in their dryer and flat iron too.

Cheryl Hucks

Bun feet added to mother’s console table.

Cheryl Hucks

Make-up mirror with etched glass.

Cheryl Hucks

My grandmother’s antique mirror. I love the flutted glass on top.

Cheryl Hucks

Antique chair recovered in ultrasuede. If make-up ends up on my chair, I can spot clean.

Cheryl Hucks

Think outside the box when creating your own make-up table. This Restoration Hardware make-up table uses two grand scale corbels and a remnant piece of slate, granite or glass. It is one of my favorites!